musicFIRST Releases 'Radio Distortion Handbook'

August 20, 2009 at 6:30 AM (PT)

The musicFIRST COALITION has released a compilation of what the group claims are "radio’s most egregious distortions about a fair performance right on radio." It's called "The Radio Distortion Handbook," and it contains "the many lies and mistruths to date used by the radio industry in its disingenuous campaign against the Performance Rights Act and those who support it."

"AM and FM music radio stations continue to earn billions in advertising revenue without compensating the artists and musicians who bring music to life and listeners’ ears to the radio dial," said musicFIRST Exec. Dir. JENNIFER BENDALL. "Instead, radio stations and the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BROADCASTERS continue to run an untruthful campaign against the Performance Rights act, spreading lies and misinformation to the general public and challenging the character and integrity of members of Congress who support it."

Earlier this month, the FCC announced it was seeking comments on the petition filed by musicFIRST (NET NEWS 8/10). The petition, says musicFIRST, shows how "radio stations across the country refuse to air musicFIRST ads, threaten artists who support the effort to create a fair performance right on radio and continue to run misleading ads produced by the NAB -- all in an effort to further their own private commercial interests at the expense of their public interest obligations."

musicFIRST Not Transparent

musicFIRST has declined when asked by ALL ACCESS to provide details on specific stations who have threatened artists. We asked musicFIRST spokesperson MARTY MACHOWSKY twice for specific examples of these new threats -- and were told twice, "We are not releasing information beyond what is in our petition."

musicFIRST first made the claim that CLEAR CHANNEL refused their ads in JUNE (NET NEWS 7/30), to which CLEAR CHANNEL EVP/Chief Legal Officer ANDY LEVIN responded, "Of course we rejected the ads. We wouldn't take ads from SIRIUS XM either. Why would we air ads designed to put us out of business? This is not about the ads; it's a publicity stunt designed to malign our business and the character or our employees. If musicFIRST is concerned about getting its message out, there is an abundance of other media outlets that would jump at the chance to take their money, especially in this economy. This is just another desperate attempt to breathe life into a failing legislative effort that is clearly against the public interest."